This year, for the first time, the Fukuoka Ruby Award Competition is staging a preliminary round in Silicon Valley. This contest is for Ruby projects developed or completed within the past 12 months and the deadline is October 17th.

The competition has been open to US, and worldwide competitors since its inception in 2009, but the majority of entrants have come from Japan. This year there are two routes into the Fukuoka Ruby Award Competition, with participation in the Silicon Valley event in November ensuring automatic entry for the main event in Fukuoka in March 2012, whose closing date is November 15th.

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Eligible programs do not have to be written entirely in Ruby but should take advantage of the unique characteristics of Ruby and their proposers must be available to attend an event to be held in Silicon Valley on November 3, 2011. It is anticipated that three projects will pass the initial screening to be invited to this event.. The judging panel, led by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto, the creator of Ruby, will be looking for products that innovate or are inventive and exhibit "staying power" or have already exhibited some measure of success. Both free and commercial products and services will be considered, but the selection committee must be able to access/view the system.

The prize for winner of the Silicon Valley Ruby Innovator Award, is a trophy and an expenses paid trip to attend the award ceremony for the main Fukuoka Ruby Award Competition in Fukuoka City, Japan. They also stand a chance of winning one of the cash prizes: